Dear Teachers,
Last night, just as some
friends were leaving after dinner, they looked off into the west and stopped to
marvel at the sunset. The sun glowed orange as it settled toward the horizon.
We all stood in silence as the hymn of evening played around us. For those of
us in Wisconsin, the changing of the light is the signal that fall is not that
far away. For those who are teachers – even retired – the August sunsets, the
heavy dew, the Monarch butterflies, all signal the start of another new year. The
anticipation of meeting new students, the satisfaction of greeting old friends
and new colleagues, the great good fortune of having a profession that gives
you the chance to start new every year!
And then … as a wise person once said – I think maybe Mark Twain, “Life
is just one damn thing after another”. Nothing
is normal, nothing is the same. Those of us who have advocated for fully funded
public education KNOW how important schools are for our children and our
society. We also KNOW how critical it is for kids to be in the presence of good
teachers. We KNOW how necessary face-to-face communication is for learning. I
would love to see our schools fully funded and fully open for students. Unfortunately,
that is not possible now. For those of you who will start your school year
virtually, I wish you well. This old man is amazed at the work technology can
help us do. Yet, like many of you, I worry about what gets lost in the virtual interactions.
I watched a kindergarten teacher last spring despair over the inability to take
a child in her arms or look them in the eyes. I know you will make the best of
this unprecedented time to help kids and parents.
For those of you who are
asked to meet students face-to-face, I can only imagine what you are thinking. Teaching
has always required the ability to juggle many things at the same time, but now
you are asked to juggle things you can’t even see. We can only hope this
pandemic can be defeated sooner rather than later. In the meantime, please know
those of us on the sidelines are doing what we can to support you. I know you
will do your best for our kids.
If there is any glimmer
of light coming from these cloudy times, it is the acknowledgement that despite
continued attacks on public education, especially here in Wisconsin, we’ve been
reminded of the critical part our schools play in our society. Without
well-informed, enlightened citizens, we are doomed. It is also the place where
many of our children find hope and support. I can’t begin to acknowledge all
the teachers and coaches who touched the lives of my own children. Not just to
help them read and write, but to help them understand history, science, art,
and music. The excellence of our schools is the main reason America has been
awarded more Nobel Prizes than any other country on Earth. And yet, the most important
lessons my children learned in school had to do with compassion and kindness. Nobody
gets left out. Nobody gets bullied. Everybody is somebody. The events of the
last several months has revealed why we must resist efforts to undermine our public
schools and the people who run them. Our schools make us better people.
I recently came across a
letter I wrote to my twin daughters on the eve of their first night in college
almost a dozen years ago this month. It sums up why I have such respect for the
teachers I know. (It also seems totally appropriate for the world we live in
today.)
“… Let college be the place where you become
truly “enlightened” – to be wise, just, and fair because you know what is true
and you know what is false. That means you must learn to recognize the truth
from the lies because there are those who will lie to you. Most will do it
because they don’t know any better, but some will deliberately lie to get the
things they want. Don’t be fooled. Help those who don’t know any better to find
the truth and stand up to those who would lie. You will be happier, and the
world will be better.
…. You will have
problems. Things will not go the way you planned. Remember all the times you
have heard older, more experienced people say, “Character is shown by how you
behave after things fall apart.” It’s okay to feel bad when things go wrong,
but it is NOT okay to give up. Reach out to those around you who love you and
let them comfort you while you regroup, but DON’T feel sorry for yourself. Get
back up! Your Mom and I wish we could promise there will be no problems, but we
can’t. All we can promise is that we will never give up on you and we will
always be there to help you get up.”
This is the message I send
to those of you heading for the classroom this week. Please know we are rooting
for you in this difficult time. I know some of you will be saying, “Ok, Boomer”
- I hope with a smile on your face – but we have no choice but to persevere.
Stay well.
A poem:
I Taste A Liquor Never
Brewed (214) by Emily Dickinson
I taste a liquor never
brewed –
From Tankards scooped in Pearl –
Not all the Frankfort Berries
Yield such an Alcohol!
Inebriate of
air – am I –
And Debauchee of Dew –
Reeling – thro' endless summer days –
From inns of molten Blue –
When
"Landlords" turn the drunken Bee
Out of the Foxglove's door –
When Butterflies – renounce their "drams" –
I shall but drink the more!
Till Seraphs swing their snowy
Hats –
And Saints – to windows run –
To see the little Tippler
Leaning against the – Sun!
